SEEING THINGS THROUGH THE LOCAL'S PERSPECTIVE

Sometimes when you're travelling, it's necessary to go on an organized tour, such as the time I went to Morocco to trek in the foothills of the High Atlas Mts.  I couldn't do that alone.  But generally I enjoy solo travel, though I have also had some trips with friends.  The thing about solo travelling is you are more apt to see things through the local's perspective and you are more open to meeting the locals.  I have been enjoying my travels so far in the company of my Welsh cousins, and this week in the company of my German friend Patrick and his mother, Hanne, who I met a couple of years ago when Patrick brought her to Vancouver.  Patrick is part of my extended family and he has been a wonderful host for my first visit to Germany and his lovely city, Mainz.

Dining with Patrick's family

I'll write more about Mainz later, but for my first German blog I will describe some of the adventures we have had so far.  Starting with my arrival here on Saturday:  Patrick invited his family members for a big feast at a Mongolian BBQ restaurant so they could meet me.  There was Hanne, and his sisters Dagmar and Frederike, his cousin Mathias, his mom's ex, Bernd and Dagmar's boyfriend Horst.  It was quite a feast and went on for hours with many trips to the buffet table and lots of talk and fun.  And it was all Patrick's treat! That was my introduction into the way folks here enjoy a night out at a restaurant, everything leisurely and everyone having a great time.

Seeing Mainz with Patrick



Sunday morning was special because I was going to hear Patrick play the organ at his little church in Wackernheim,  a village outside of Mainz.  Patrick, I know, is an accomplished musician but this was a special thrill to hear him playing on this organ which was built in 1856 by a Mainz based organ builder, Bernhard Dreymann, who  supplied the whole area with organs, many of which are still intact today and can be played. The organs have a very baroque sound considering the fact that Dreymann was an organ builder of the romantic era.

The church of St. Martin was built originally in 1753 and this is the third church at that site, with the first church dating from around the year 800 AD.  It's a small church, with cherrywood choir pews and a chandelier that represents the 12 heavenly gates of Jerusalem.   The service was conducted by the woman pastor, Vera Eichner-Fischer, who greeted me during the service.  It was so nice to hear church bells chiming and to be part of the service.

After church we took the bus to Wiesbaden where Patrick's mother lives, and where he grew up as a child.
We walked around his old neighbourhood and I saw the impressive school where he attended (and where his mom also attended when she was a child).  Later we took a bus to Neroberg where there is a water-driven elevated train, the largest one in Europe.  It took us up a steep hill to a beautiful park where we had magnificent views of the entire city of Wiesbaden, which has a population of 320,000 people.  We later walked down the hill, stopping to visit an impressive Russian chapel, built in 1855, dedicated to 'holy Elizabeth',  who was the wife of a wealthy man and had died shortly after childbirth.  Inside the ornate Orthodox chapel is a beautiful statue of her in repose.  Next to the chapel, which has tall gold spires, is the largest Russian cemetery in Western Europe.



We carried on walking down the hill through a posh area of town with some impressive houses and apartments.  We were headed to a special restaurant where traditional German food is prepared.  Unfortunately by the time we reached the Wikiger, I was feeling rather ill with stomach cramps so I couldn't indulge in any of the traditionally cream covered schnitzels which was disappointing.

Afterwards we walked by to see the world's largest cuckoo clock and then to stop at the healing hot spring at the Wreath Square.  Apparently Weisbaden is built over 7 dormant volcanoes that produce hot springs and it has always been known as a spa area for healing.

I didn't attempt to taste the water and it was pretty hot to touch, but maybe it had a subliminal affect as I was feeling much better by the next day and ready to set off on another all-day field trip with Patrick.

NEXT:  Castles on the Rhine

A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY TO EUBOEIA: Part 1

STIRA, Euboea

JUNE 20, 2009
On Saturday I went with my friends Andreas and Dinaz on the ferry to Stira, one of the towns on the west coast of Euboeia, the large island right off the coast of Attica. A few years ago our very good friend Graham Peacock had bought himself a retirement home there. Graham had lived right across from the new acropolis and the city had expropriated all the apartment buildings on the block (across the street from To Kati Allo). So he was very much looking forward to moving over to the island.

Unfortunately, Graham didn't make it. He had barely begun to move in and settle when he was diagnosed with colon cancer. He died very shortly afterwards. His properly was willed to his cousin and that weekend, since the cousin was visiting from England, we went over for the morning to see the apartment and so I could be introduced to the cousin.

A PAINTING OF GRAHAM by our friend Mike Cornford.

Graham was a music aficionado -- mainly jazz -- and had a huge collection of CD's as well as a meticulously kept ledger of all the jazz musicians and every piece of music they'd recorded or written. Graham was a retired accountant and very good at keeping track of things. He also had a large collection of books and I was allowed to choose one. I took the one about Lord Byron as I've always intended to write a story about Byron in Greece.

I was so amazed to see Graham's house and it made it even more tragic that he had died so soon. It's a lovely, huge apartment overlooking the fields and sea. I know he'd have lived a very happy life there. Unfortunately the relatives won't be spending much time there, which is a shame. I know if Graham had lived he would have invited his close friends to come and share his place with him. It's such a big apartment -- more like a complete house -- with several bedrooms and a huge salon with fireplace as well as a very big deck with this magnificent view.

MANGAS, a painting by our friend Robert Hallberg

We had a very close group in Athens. Dinaz and I were very good friends of Graham and she was with him right up til he died. We had thought perhaps some of his possessions such as some CDs and paintings by our friend Roberto would be passed on to his close friends, but they weren't. However the day we visited a couple of paintings by our friend Roberto (who died several years earlier) were offered to Dinaz and I. She took this Mangas painting. (The Mangas was one of Roberto's favorite subjects) but the other one was not one that I wanted so I only took a photo of it.

In all, this was a very sentimental journey day. Because after we left Graham's house in Stira, we drove down the island on the winding, cliff-hanging roads, to my little village of Lala.

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MUSIC ON THE LAKE

In the heart of Stanley Park is a small lake known as Beaver Lake. The lake began as a shallow lagoon cut off from the ocean by the land and eventually turned into a barren and dry bog, then a forested bog and finally, about 10,000 years ago, a freshwater pond that we know today as Beaver Lake. Today the 'lake' is truning back to a bog which is covered with a lovely blanket of yellow water lilies. There are trails in the surrounding forest, one of them "The Beaver Lake Interpretive Trail. Along this interesting route you will experience the various ecosystems of Stanley Park. On Sunday, when my friend and I paid our first visit in years, there were dozens of ducks with their fluffy little ducklings providing entertainment for the visitors. A long-legged heron waded among the water-lilies searching for a snack. Red-wing blackbirds chirrped from the tall reeds. There couldn't have been a more appropriate or lovely setting for the event which we had come there to attend.

"Shafer on the Lake" was an afternoon concert performed by the lakeside by a vocalist, flautist, clarinet and trumper player celebrating the 75th birthday of eminent Canadian composer/librettist/artistic direct and environmentalist R. Murray Shafer. We took along a little picnic lunch and sat on a bench enjoying the strains of the music as it echoed back and forth across the still pond enhanced by the bird sounds. Quite an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.

A little black squirrel came to join our picnic. He refused the carrot we offered him but chowed down on the scraps of chicken wings and kept coming back, standing up on his little hind legs begging for more.

After the concert ended we walked back along the trail, through the tall Douglas firs. There were wild flowers blooming along the path
and the tall ferns uncurling their fronds. It's certainly worth a visit to Beaver Lake and perhaps the next time I'll take along the "Interpretive Trail" brochure I picked up so I can follow along and see more of the flora and fauna that surround it.